FILE - In this Friday, May 19, 2017 file photo, students line up for lunch at a middle school in Sandy, Utah. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP)

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FILE - In this Friday, May 19, 2017 file photo, students line up for lunch at a middle school in Sandy, Utah. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP)

RHODE ISLAND (WPRI) - You've heard the saying, "there is no such thing as a free lunch." That's why Cranston Schools are now looking to collect unpaid lunch balances.

Chief Operating Officer Raymond L. Votto, Jr. sent a letter to all parents in the district, informing them the district has hired Transworld Systems - a collection agency - to try an recoup money owed for lunches.

Votto said the school district wrote off $95,508 in unpaid lunches from September 2016 through June 2018. And it hasn't gotten better this school year. Since September, he said the unpaid lunch balance is $45,859.